Discordance
by steelcrash
Summary: Two Joes must fight to the death as "entertainment" for Cobra.
1. Chapter 1

Discordance

I don't own "G.I. Joe." That belongs to Hasbro. I'm only borrowing the characters for the duration of the story.

Chapter 1

Falcon cracked his knuckles. He definitely owed his brother one. The young officer's lips broke into a wicked smile, which immediately wiped the grin off his opponent's face. He wasn't the fighter Duke was but he could hold his own. Falcon was about to get the chance to prove what he was made of.

Unfortunately, it was in front of a bunch of Cobra Vipers who were using him for their evening entertainment. He'd been unlucky enough to get caught during a mission with Kamakura to perform reconnaissance on Cobra Island. Now, he was facing off against a Viper just to stay alive.

Falcon circled the other man, whose name he didn't know. He shut out all the noise, the jeers, the cheering from the human ring that surrounded them. The only thing that mattered was getting out alive.

Falcon steeled himself for the first blow but nothing could prepare him for the sting of flesh on flesh and the sound of bone hitting bone. Time stood still in that moment as Falcon shook off the stinging hits to his jaw and gut.

The Viper was poised to strike again but the young officer returned the first volley with hits of his own. He jabbed with his left and then connected hard to the other man's jaw with a quick right, just as Duke had taught him. His opponent stumbled back a step but quickly shook off the blow. The crush of bodies surrounding them jeered as Falcon pressed the attack.

The Viper dropped and spun, throwing out a kick, taking the Joe out at the knees. Falcon landed flat on his back on the concrete floor. His attacker jumped towards him but Falcon rolled out of the way and hauled himself to his feet. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked.

The Viper blinked, not expecting the verbal jab. Falcon lunged in that split second, knocking the Cobra soldier to the ground. As he balled his fist to strike again, two Vipers came up from behind and restrained him, hauling him off his opponent.

"You've survived round one," Major Bludd said. "But let's see how you fare against one of your own."

The crowd parted to reveal two Crimson Guardsmen, training their assault rifles on Kamakura, who Falcon hadn't seen since their capture." "

"Because you two already know each other, we can skip the introductions," Bludd said. Then he paused for effect, drawing in the interest of the gathered Vipers. "There is only one thing you need to know before we start-the winner lives and the loser leaves in a body bag."

Major Bludd stepped back and the soldiers closed the gap, eagerly anticipating the bloody entertainment awaiting them. Falcon faced Kamakura silently. The ninja's face was hooded as always, his eyes showing no emotion. He didn't even acknowledge Falcon's presence. He only stared at the floor while Bludd finished his speech.

At the sound of a gunshot, the signal to begin, the Vipers started their jeering and cheering again. Instead of taking on each other, the two Joes turned on the crowd. Kamakura leaped vertically into the air as the two closest Vipers closed on him. With a spread-legged kick, both his feet made contact with the jaws of his attackers. Falcon swung once at a Viper moving in his direction but missed, overextending as his body crossed in front of the Cobra. Dropping his left shoulder and turning, he was able to drive his right elbow back into the enemy soldier's chest, knocking the Viper down.

After a few seconds, the two soldiers were pressed back to back, trying to take down each Cobra coming their way but the melee was momentarily broken up by the arrival of the cavalry.

The Vipers reluctantly stopped the fight when they noticed that a cadre of heavily armed Iron Grenadiers, personally commanded by Destro, had surrounded them. The din of excitement was replaced by hollow clicks of Kalashnikov assault rifle bolts being worked as the grenadiers locked and loaded."

"Let them go," the arms dealer said, looking to his men who leveled their guns on the Cobra soldiers. "Major Bludd, since when are prisoners used for entertainment purposes? I'm sure the commander will be very unhappy when he hears how you let two very valuable prisoners escape."

The Vipers holding Falcon down let him go and Kamakura helped him to his feet.

"You won't get away with this," Bludd said.

"We shall see, Major," Destro replied. "Leave and take this rabble with you."

Bludd left the way the Grenadiers had come in, the Vipers following. When they were alone, Destro turned to the two Joes.

"You're free to go," he said. "I have no quarrel with you."

Falcon glared but wasn't going to argue. Kamakura wasn't content to leave well enough alone. "What's in this for you?" he asked.

Destro shrugged. "It would be most inopportune for you to remain in Cobra custody for the time being," he said. "You've been released. Now go."

Epilogue

The two soldiers sat across from each other in the Tomahawk chopper taking them back to the_ U.S.S. Flagg._. They were both bloody and battered from their ordeal and not ready to discuss with anyone what had happened. However, Falcon wanted to know the answer to a question that had been bothering him since facing his fellow Joe in the Terror Drome.

"Hey, Kamakura ..." he said, catching the other man's attention.

"What?"

Falcon had to ask. "Would you have really, you know, gone through with it?"

Kamakura looked him squarely in the eye.

"Would you?".


	2. Chapter 2

Discordance

I don't own "G.I. Joe." That belongs to Hasbro. I'm only borrowing the characters for the duration of the story.

Chapter 2

Destro watched the two Joes' retreat with detached interest. Letting them go served his purpose, but it was also the honorable thing to do. He knew there would be hell to pay when Cobra Commander found about his deed, but he would see to it the commander meted out his pound of flesh from the appropriate party.

After all, the entire idea to pit the two soldiers against each other had been Bludd's and the good major deserved some discipline.

Destro had watched the Joe called Falcon fight several rounds with Vipers and had found the situation fairly amusing until Bludd had trotted out the coup de tat - making the captured Joes fight each other to the death.

That was his breaking point. A little prisoner demoralization never hurt but what Bludd thought of as "entertainment" was despicable as well as tasteless. But what really caught his interest was how the two soldiers turned the situation around and used **it** to their own advantage.

In spite of the stacked odds, they still thought they had a chance. That was what appealed to his sense of honor, his sense of duty.

It was his reason for interfering and even though he would never admit it to anyone, his reason for admiring his enemy, an admiration that over the years had built into a grudging respect.

The bravery the two soldiers exhibited during their fight was the embodiment of everything Cobra Commander did not understand, the very qualities most of his troops did not have. Instead of finding common ground and unity, petty bickering and greed ruled.

Destro knew he was a crook but he was an honorable crook. He kept his word and only hoped if the situation were one day reversed, the Joes would do the same for him.

Most of the time, he had no real quarrel with them unless their activities interfered with his sometimes questionable activities but sometimes a man had to stand up for what he believed in or he was nothing. And sometimes, his association with Cobra and Cobra Commander in general made him feel less than honorable.

His dealings with the Joes had stirred something inside him, something he thought long dead. They exhibited ideals he once considered archaic and outdated but now, he felt hope.

Maybe after all there was hope for a better future, with or without him in it.

And watching the two soldiers fight, Destro was now sure he was ready to sacrifice himself for what he believed in, even if it meant defying Cobra Commander. Because now he had his own honor and self-respect back and no one was going to take that away.


End file.
